Ethiopian Airlines Group has signed a contract with Dar Al-Handasah Consultants to build a ‘Mega Airport City’ at Abusera in Bishoftu City that will include over 100,000sq m of cargo and support facilities.
The site, 40 km from the existing Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, lies about 20 km south east of the city centre on the main A1 road to the south. According to Ethiopian Airlines, the Mega Airport City will have a capacity of 110m passengers each year, four times the current capacity of the existing gateway.
The first phase is scheduled to be completed in 2029, with a capacity to handle 60m passengers, itself almost three times the number of passengers handled at Africa’s busiest airport in 2022.
Crucially, the new gateway will also have the advantage of a lower elevation compared to the current hub which is among the highest major airports in the world and hence presents operational challenges, including reduced aircraft payloads.
Dar Al-Handasah specialises in design, planning, engineering, and management services, and is part of the Sidar group that has delivered projects in over 300 airports worldwide, including Bole International and Dubai International.
The architecture of the new airport will incorporate elements of the country’s heritage “to establish a new emblematic structure for the nation”, said Ethiopian Airlines.
Group chief executive Mesfin Tasew added: “With its exceptional capacity and world-class facilities, this new airport promises to elevate African aviation and strengthen partnerships, marking a significant advancement for the region’s air travel infrastructure.”
Dar’s director of operations in Ethiopia, Tariq Al-Qanni, stated: “We are privileged to be collaborating with Ethiopian Airlines on this visionary new airport, which will provide vital global air connectivity, accelerate economic growth in Ethiopia, and elevate Ethiopian Airlines into Africa’s most strategic and most competitive aviation group.”